Can You Use A Garden Sprayer For Asphalt Sealing

Compression Pump-up Sprayers Types

Standard Economical Pump-up Garden Sprayers
Generally recommended for water base film forming sealers and some penetrating sealers. Not recommended for solvent base sealers.

Economical pump-up sprayers that are commonly used for fertilizer and insecticides offer good results and
application performance for a variety of water base sealers. It is best to use a sprayer that comes with an
adjustable fan sprayer tip that will allow adjustments for various sealer consistencies. Because these standard
sprayers have plastic or rubber parts (seals, gaskets spray tips, etc.), they do not hold up well to lacquers and
other solvent coatings.

Heavy Duty Solvent Resistant Pump-up Sprayers
Recommended for Water base and solvent base film forming sealers. Not recommended for some penetrating sealers
Solvent resistant pump-up sprayers are more suitable for solvent base sealers and can equally be used for water base sealers. These sprayers are equipped with Viton seals and gaskets and metal, brass or Teflon tips. Some manufacturers refer to these solvent resistant sprayers as Curing Compound Sprayers. Some have adjustable fan tips or they may have a fixed orifice tip of 0.5 GPM or 1.0 GPM. Using a 0.5 GPM tip at 40 psi will produce a lighter coating suitable for medium to denser surfaces. A 1.0 GPM tip at 40 psi will produce a heavier coating that is suitable for more porous surfaces. Cone sprayer tips are not recommended for sealer applications.

Airless Equipment and H.V.L.P. Sprayers

Generally recommended for water base and solvent base film forming sealers. Not recommended for some penetrating sealers.
Airless equipment and H.V.L.P. (High Velocity Low Pressure) sprayers have a variety of tips and nozzles to
select from depending on what product is to be sprayed. The following page will show the types of sealers that can be used with Airless or H.V.L.P. equipment and a general guideline of suggested tip sizes.

Spray Tip Numbering For Airless and H.V.L.P.
Selecting a tip size is important. Manufactures typically use three numbers to designate tip size. An example
is, 611 or 717. The first digit refers to fan width and is one-half the size of the working fan width. The second
and third digits refer to orifice size in thousandths of an inch.

Example Tip number 717:

First digit 7 = 14" fan pattern at 12 inch spraying distance
Second and third digits 17 = 17 thousands orifice size

General Application Tips

With Film Forming Sealers apply 2 – 3 thin even coats. Do not allow sealer to puddle on surface. If puddles do occur, keep a paintbrush handy to immediately spread and smooth out over applied areas. 1st coat may be uneven due to variations in surface absorption. 2nd coat should help to even out. Try to keep a wet edge and avoid heavy over lapping by reducing the amount of sealer or feather the application of sealer at over laps to avoid visual lap-joints. Penetrating Sealers should be applied liberally, without over applying. Remove excess penetrating sealer off surface with a clean dry towel before it dries on surface.

Cleaning pump-up sprayers
If working with lacquer, keep a gallon of xylene or lacquer thinner handy for cleaning.
When refilling sprayer tank with lacquer or taking a break, rest your applicator wand and tip inside a gallon
of your preferred cleaning solution to melt away build-up of sealer and avoid clogging of the tip.
When cleaning solvent sealers from tank, first empty out unused sealer and add one gallon of cleaning
solvent thinner to sprayer tank. Replace plunger cap and swirl and shake around solvent. First pump up and
discharge a small amount of solvent thinner back into solvent container. Remove the sprayer tip and
discharge the remaining cleaner by mass volume into the solvent container. When empty, hold wand
vertical, open valve and drain tube. Repeat flushing process if needed. Dump out remaining cleaning
material and wipe down the plunger, seals and any contact seals. To avoid damaging to the seals, leave
plunger out of tank over night to allow vapors to escape.

For water base sealers, follow same procedure but clean with warm water and mild soap instead of solvent.
All sprayer types have a limited life use, but if promptly cleaned and maintained after use, proper care will
help to extend the life of the sprayer.

Cleaning Airless Equipment – Generally with solvent sealers use xylene or lacquer thinner and water base
sealers use warm water. Follow manufactures recommendations.